Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-12-15
A FATAL fAlLACY.

A FATAL fAllACY.
Tho En~Iavement of the Human Will.
Among the fallacies of intemper-
ancc, none is more fatal than the tip
piers favorite saying: Il can drink. or
l can let it alone" 1t sounds manly
and masterful 1t tickles the vanity OF
the speaker. 1t implies on his part a
great reserve of will power. which
makes it perfectly safe for him to in
dulge in the pleasure of alcoholic stim-
ulation, because, at any moment, he
can put the indulgence from him by an
effort of his will.
Part Of the above quotation is unde-
niably true, but part of it is on par
with that serpentine whisper-so false
and so fatal: ''Ye shall not surely die"'
II can drink" needs no demonstra-
ton; or, if it does, the enormous foot
ings of our annual liquor bill will fur
nish ample proof. Il can let it alone, ="
coming from the lips of total ab-
stainer, expresses the exact truth; but
in the mouth of drinker, it is like the
empty boast of Samson, when he wist
not that his strength had departed
from HIM. ''Or," is little word, but
in the familiar quotation at the head OF
this article, it interposes barrier
which few in their own strength are
able to pass. Il can drink. or can
drink. orr can drink" is usually the
way that the series runs down to LIES
sad close.
Three reasons may be given to show
that the use of Intoxicating liquors as Il
beverage is likely to lead to the entire
enslavement of the will. One import
ant office of the will is to rule the pas
sions and appetites. These are not self
regulating, but their tendency is to-
wards excess. The will was given to di-
rect and hold in check these necessary
but dangerous powers of mans nature
Like mcddlesome horses properly har-
messed and skillfully guided, they are
noble servants as long as the strong
hand of volition is on the rcins. Now
real life proves conclusively that, even
under ordinary circumstances, the pas
sions and appetites are not easily con-
trolled. But add the powerful stimu-
lation of alcohol. and the task becomes
doubly difficult; because it intlames
the passions and strengthens the APP
petites. This is especially true of the
entire lower range of mans nature.
Anger, hate, revenge, lust, leap up
fierce and strong. rs though some de-
mon had been adding fuel to their fires.
Now, even if the strength of will were
rot impaired in the meanwhile, alco-
holized passions go beyond its strength.
If driver is barely able to restrain
one prancing pair of horses, it will not
do to double the team. and ask him to
drive four-in-hand. If the will has
enough to do-yes, sometimes more
than enough--to hold in check man 8
unruly passions when they are at their
ordinary pitch. it is easy to predict
what will be the result when alcohol
doubles their strength. If one desires
particulars, let him turn to the records
of police and criminal courts.
A second significant fact is that in
temperance raises up a Judas among
the habits, who will seek occasion to
bctray the will, and deliver it into the
hands Of its enemies. Every good
habit is the friend and helper of the
will. 1t is, we may say, conserved
volition; for habits arc formed by I'M
numbered acts of the will turned in
the direction of some line of conduct,
making action in that line easy. When
Il good habit is once established, the
will is relieved from the necessity of
constant and minute supervision, and
may safely turn its activity in other
directions. Without the power of
forming habits there could be no such
thing as confirmed character. All vo-
lition would be tentative. and would
apply to the act of the moment. Man
would be represented By his passing
volition. rather than by the sum of all
his past volitions. His conduct would
be tickle; his character would not in
crease in mass and momentum.
But, unfortunately, bad habits as
well rs good can be formed; and of all
bad habits, intenlperance sets itself
most powerfully against the will. The
will helps to form it. but when it gains
a certain degree of strength, it be-
comes Il rebel, and defies the will 1t
seats itself in the flesh; lays hold on
every fiber of the body; makes the
passions its allies; diligently feeds the
fires of thirst; laughs at reason and
and breaks through the
mandates of the will as though they
were of little worth. When it arises in
its strength the most solemn resolu-
tons are swept before it. as autumn
leaves are carried by a November
storm.
But the third fact shows the fatal
power of intemperance In the clearest
light. Not only does the use of alco-
hol in any form tend to establish a
habit with which the will may not he
able to cope, but it also weakens the
will A few illustrative examples